U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,075 discloses a fire extinguisher that is particularly well suited to a stovetop environment.
In a kitchen, grease fires and other types of fires are a concern. For example, a pan of grease on a stove burner can become so hot that it ignites. A grease fire left unextinguished can burn the walls around and above the stove.
The '075 patent provides a container of an extinguishing agent. The container is located above the stovetop, such as with a magnet secured to a hood over the stove. The bottom of the container contains a fuse. A fire on the stovetop ignites the fuse, which in turn detonates an initiator. The initiator opens the bottom of the container, thereby allowing the disbursement of the extinguishing agent onto the fire and the stovetop.
Several improvements have been made to the initiator of the '075 patent in the present invention. These improvements make the initiator, and thus the fire extinguisher, less expensive to manufacture. The improvements increase the reliability of the extinguisher and use a combustible material that is safer to handle.